RESTRICTED  
  
JOB/ACC/TLS/7  
 
26 July 2022 
(22-5621) Page: 1/4 
Working Party on the Accession of Timor -Leste  Original: English  
 
ACCESSION OF TIMOR -LESTE  
REPORT BY AMBASSADOR RUI MACIEIRA  (PORTUGAL ),  
CHAIRPERSON OF THE WORKING  PARTY  
1. I have the pleasure of presenting a report to you  on the recent mission to  Dili which I  led as 
Chairperson of the Working Party, following the invitation of the Government of Timor -Leste . As the 
accession process of Timor -Leste gathers critical momentum, I would like to share my insights and 
assessment in order to steer this process to a successf ul conclusion , with the support of Members .  
2. This report will cover : (i) the mission to Dili  from 11 to 15 July 2022 , where I was accompanied 
by Ms. Maika Oshikawa, Director of the Accessions Division, and Ms.  Anna Varyanik, Secretary of 
the Working Party on the Accession of Timor -Leste ; and (ii) my assessment of the accession process 
of Timor -Leste  to the WTO  and proposed next steps  toward s finalization . 
1  REPORT ON THE VISIT TO DILI ON 11-15 JULY 
3. This was a long -planned visit , which  took place later than planned  due to the COVID -19 
pandemic . The mission was timely for the accession process, especially following a successful 
3rd Working Party meeting cycle held in April and Timor -Leste' s active participation at the 12th WTO 
Ministerial Conference (MC12) in June . I was received by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs 
and Chief Negotiator for Accession Joaquim Amaral  and Ambassador Lurdes Bessa , Timor -Leste 's 
Permanent Representative to the United Nations  Office  in Geneva .    
4. During the 5-day visit, I held a number of meetings with key domestic stakeholders for the 
accession process.  At the level of the Government, I met with high-level officials from the Executive 
and Legislative branches, which  included:  (i) President of the Democratic Republic of Timor -Leste, 
Dr José Ramos -Horta , who was inaugurated for a five -year mandate in May ; (ii) President of the 
National Parliament , Mr Aniceto Guterres Lopes ; and (iii) Prime Minister Mr Taur Matan Ruak . 
The President o f the National Parliament was accompanied by the Chairpersons of Parliamentary 
Committee  C (responsible for public finance matters ) and Committee D (responsible for economic 
and development matters ), Ms. Maria Angelica Rangel da Cruz dos Reis and Mr. Antoninho Bianco , 
respectively.  Chief Negotiator Amaral accompanied me and the Secretariat at all meetings.  
5. At these meetings , I reported on the progress registered by Timor -Leste since the 1st meeting 
of the Working Party in October 20 20, followed by the 2nd meeting in July 2021 and , most recently , 
the 3rd meeting in April 2022.1 These Working Party meetings  - two of which  were held virtually due 
to travel restrictions  - had been complemented by two visits of the delegation of Timor -Leste to 
Geneva for MC12 , in November  2021 and June  2022. During the last two years, t he process ha d 
advanc ed from initial fact -finding discussions with Members on Timor -Leste's  foreign trade regime 
to the consideration of the draft terms for Timor -Leste's future membership. On the bilateral market 
access  negotiations  front, Timor -Leste had concluded negotiatio ns and signed  agreements with two 
Members - Australia and New Zealand , while adv ancing negotiations with seven other Members, 
based on its revised offers circulated in early June.2 In addition, during MC12, the country had joined 
the Joint Declaration  on Services Domestic Regulation , becoming the first acceding government and 
LDC to do so.  
 
1 My report to the Government was based on the one I presented to the 12th WTO Ministerial 
Conference,  contained in  document WT/MIN(22)/2 and WT/ACC/TLS/22.  
2 In document WT/ACC/SPEC/ 2/Rev.1 for the tariff offer and WT/ACC/SPEC/ 3/Rev.1 fo r the offer on 
trade in services.   JOB/ACC /TLS/7  
 
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  6. I also shared my assessment as Chairperson of the Working Party on the work ahead  in the 
accession process .3 First, this a ccession  enjoyed wide -ranging  support across the WTO Membership . 
This had been complemented by the provision of technical assistance and capacity building by 
several Members and international partners. Second, the accession process was well on track for 
conclusion , for as long as all remaining elements were agreed with Members  in the coming months , 
especially on market access  and legislati on necessary for WTO consisten cy. Third, the progress  made 
on the accession front could also help advance Timor -Leste's twin goal of joining t he Association of 
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).  
7. I am pleased to report that my meetings with Timor -Leste's leaders reaffirmed  the existence 
of strong political will , at all levels of government and among all political parties , to bring the 
WTO accession process to the finish line . This is seen as  a critical parallel pillar of the Government's 
goal to join ASEAN in 2023. In this regard, t hey expressed full commit ment to complet e all 
outstanding work, including the submission of updated documents, the enactment of WTO -consistent 
legislation and the finalization of  bilateral market access negotiations.  All efforts would be made to 
ensure the completion of the work  by the 4th meeting  of the Working Party in the fall, or by the end 
of the year at the latest.  I was particularly encouraged by the readiness of the National Parliament 
to prioritize the enactment of WTO-related legislat ion at its next session , starting in mid -September. 
Following my visit, a n action plan detailing these e lements was submitted by Chief Negotiator Amaral 
to the Council of Ministers , chaired by the Prime Minister, for action by all ministries . 
8. On the second day of my visit, I had the opportunity to participat e in the High-Level 
Conference on WTO/ASEAN Accession of Timor -Leste  and listen  to discussions on the synergies 
between the two accession processes.4 In addition to Chief Negotiator Amaral , who opened the 
Conference, the event was attended by President José Ramos -Horta , Prime  Minister  Taur Matan 
Ruak, Foreign Minister Adaljiza Magno in charge of Timor -Leste's accession to ASEAN, as well as all 
members of the Inter -ministerial Commissions responsible for WTO and ASEAN A ccessions  
(e.g. Minister of Finance; Minister of Tourism, Trade and Industry; Minister of Petroleum and 
Minerals; Minister of Health ; etc). President Ramos -Horta noted that "both ASEAN and 
WTO memberships are national strategic priorities which enjoy solid  national consensus , as part of 
the country's commitment to a rules -based integration ." He reiterated the Government's twin goal 
of joining the WTO and ASE AN in 2023.  On my part, I stressed th at the two processes were 
complementary and mutually supportive in achieving Timor -Leste's development goals and call ed 
for a coordinated national  strategy  to ensure  a coherent domestic reform  agenda and legal and 
institutional  consistency at the regional and multilateral level s. This conference offered an 
opportunity to learn about  the experiences of Cambodia and Lao PDR, two LDCs from ASEAN which 
became WTO Members in 2004 and 2013, respectively.  
9. During the visit, I also closely interacted with representatives of the civil society , private sector  
and academia to discuss the benefits of WTO  and ASEAN accession s. These discussions reminded 
me of the debates we had had in Portugal back when joining the European Communities – now the 
EU. Drawing on my experience, I took this opportunity to discuss  the linkages between 
WTO membership and the achievement of high social and environmental protection standards . 
These  consultations served to confirm the existence of strong national consensus on WTO accession 
and full support from all key stakeholders.  
10. The vi sit also included a consultation meeting with development partners and donors, which 
I moderated . I was pleased to be joined in person by representatives from several WTO Members, 
including Australia, Brunei, the EU, Indonesia, New Zealand , Thailand  and th e United States, a s well 
as many other partners virtually5. The meeting was an important occasion to assess Timor -Leste's 
technical assistance needs , based on the technical presentations made by various ministries involved 
in the accession process. It also emphasized the need to effectively coordinate among donors to 
ensure that Timo r-Leste 's evolving needs would be met in a timely  manner as the accession process 
advance s toward s conclusion and  to discuss  the preparation of a post -accession implementation 
strategy  that would be launched in the coming months . 
 
3 Based on the next s teps for the work of the Working Party  outlined at the 3rd meeting held on 
29 April 2022.  
4 See press release on the event  - https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news22_e/acc_15jul22_e.htm . 
5 Cambodia, Canada,  Myanmar  and Vietnam , as well as ADB, EIF, WIPO  and UNOPS . JOB/ACC/TLS/7  
 
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  11. The message which echoed throughout the se meetings , and an additional meeting I had with 
senior officials of the g7+ Secretariat  was that Timor -Leste sees WTO accession as a pillar in the 
realization  of its development goals and the achievement of sustainable peace and stability . This  is 
aligned with the country's promoti on of the Trade for Peace  agenda in the WTO  as co-coordinator , 
together  with Liberia, of the g7+ WTO Accessions Group .6 I was very pleased to hear  how strongly 
one of the newest sovereign  nation s in Southeast Asia – and an LDC  – believes in the value of open, 
transparent, and rules -based trade  cooperation . This has given  me renewed confidence in the ability 
of the multilateral trading syste m to deliver for the most vulnerable members of the international 
community, especially LDCs and fragile and conflict -affected states (FCS) . There is a strong 
conviction in Timor -Leste that integration with the rest of the world through the multilateral 
framework of trade rules  can be a building block to greater economic opportunities , stabili ty and 
prosperity.  
12. Just before my departure from Dili, I was privileged to witness the signing of bilateral market 
access agreements between Chief Negotiator Amaral and Ambassador Philip Hewitt  of New  Zealand , 
as well as  Chargé d' Affaires Suzy Wilson-Ulela of Australia . I was also informed that Timor -Leste 's 
authorities believed that the country was close to concluding  bilateral negotiations with three 
Members7. 
13. Following my departure , the Secretariat held a series of technical working sessions with the 
Timorese negotiating  team to review the legislative state of play and assist in the finalization  of 
negotiating  inputs for the 4th meeting of the Working Party . With the virtual participation of experts 
from Geneva, t he sessions f ocused on areas where technical gaps are to be filled  in the draft Working 
Party Report before the meeting  – namely, trading rights, customs valuation, TRIPS, agriculture, 
SPS, and the Information Technology Agreement  (ITA). Detailed discussions were held with 
Timor -Leste's technical team on the latest round of questions from Members, the Legislative Action 
Plan and the draft Report, in view of updating them in time for the next meeting.  In addition, on 
19 July, the Secretariat was invited to provide a briefing  on the state of play in Timor -Leste's 
WTO accession process to an ASEAN fact -finding mission  on the ASEAN Economy Community , 
highlighting relevant information for the country's efforts to join ASEAN  and possible areas of 
cooperation to support the  Government's twin accession efforts .  
2  NEXT STEPS IN THE WORK OF THE WORKING PARTY  
14. The series of productive exchange s with the Government and key domestic stakeholders 
during the 5-day visit in Dili has provided me  with a clear sense o f what can be achieve d and remains 
to be done in the months ahead, building on  my initial assessment of the 3rd Working Party meeting 
in April.  In consultation with the Secretariat, I have identified two areas which require priority 
attention by the Working Party : (i) the enactment of legislation and submission of translat ed 
legislation  by the Government of Timor -Leste , as requested by the Working Party; and 
(ii) the conclusion of market access negotiations between Timor -Leste and seven Members.  
As Chairperson , I would like  to be in a position to report on concrete progress in these areas at the 
4th meeting of the Working Party, which I hope to hold in the fall.   
15. First, in the area of legislative work , the responsibility primarily rest s with the Government of 
Timor -Leste, although I also see the important role of technical assistance in assisting the 
Government's efforts. While in Dili, I was encouraged by the Government's readiness to prioriti se 
WTO-related work, including by the Counci l of Ministers and the National Parliament. I expect that 
this will be reflected in the next revision of the Legislative Action Plan , which will be circulated to the 
Working Party shortly. It will also be important for the Government to clearly indicate ar eas where 
transition periods would be necessary for the implementation of legislation, including in the areas of  
taxation, TBT, SPS and TRIPS , where draft action plans are already included in the relevant sections 
of the draft Report of the Working Party. Regarding the pote ntial areas for technical assistance from 
Members and international partners, consideration may be given to the translation  as well as the 
implementation of legislation , which may require the establishment of  new institutional 
arrangement s such as a n office  responsible for intellectual property rights  and the training of 
officials. Of course, this is in addition to comment s resulting from the review of l egislation  by 
 
6 See the recent Ministerial Declaration of the Second Ministerial Meeting of the g7+ WTO Accessions 
Group, chaired by Liberia and Timor -Leste, circulated in document WT/MIN(22)/23 . 
7 Canada, Japan and the Philippines.  JOB/ACC /TLS/7  
 
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  Members , including in draft form, submitted by Timor -Leste.8 To date, Timor -Leste has shared 
252 pieces of legislation with the Working Party – an impressive number for an LDC acceding 
government.  
16. Second, in the area of bilateral market access negotiations, I would like to call on the 
Government of Timor -Leste and seven Members9 to finalise the negotiations as soon as possible , 
ideally before the 4th meeting of the Working Party . In this regard, let me take this opportunity to 
express appreciation to Australia and New Zealand for positively responding to my request  at the 
3rd Working Party meeting to expedite the conclusion of bilateral market access negotiations.  Let me 
also remind the Working Party that once an agreement is signed with Timor -Leste, one of three 
signed and initialled copies , normally contain ing a protocol and an annex or annexes containing 
negotiated tariff concessions or/and specific commitments  on services , should be deposited with the 
Secretariat . An electronic file  or files containing  the negotiated concessions  and specific 
commitments should also be submitted . As soon as all signed market access agreements are 
deposited, the Secretariat will start the consolidation of the agreements into draft schedules of 
commitments on goods and services, which will be subjec t to technical verification by all signatory 
Members.   
17. Regarding the next steps in the work of the Working Party, it is my hope that all negotiating 
inputs will be circulated to the Working Party before the summer break. These will include: 
(i) Timor -Leste's response s to Members' written questions  submitted following the 3rd meeting of 
the Working Party ; (ii) Agriculture Supporting Tables on Domestic Support and Export Subsides, 
updated for the period of 2019-2021; (iii)  a revised SPS Checklist; and (iv)  a revised Legislation 
Action Plan, together with copies of translated legislation  (including draft legislation) . In addition, 
based on these inputs, the Secretariat will update the draft Report of the Working Party , which 
should also be circulated. Following the circulation of all the documentation, as per standard practice, 
I will consult on the timing for the 4th meeting of the Working Party through an e-mail 
communication . It is my hope that the meeting could tak e place in September or  October .  
18. In my view, the 4th meeting of the Working Party will be critical in bringing together  all 
elements necessary for the emergence of  the draft Accession Package  of Timor -Leste . In this regard, 
I would invite Members wishing to raise any issues with Timor -Leste, to do so before the 4th meeting. 
As you know, the Accession Package represent s the results of both the multilateral and bilateral 
negotiations, which are contained in three documents: (i) a Report of the Workin g Party ; 
(ii) a Schedule of Concessions and Commitments on Goods ; and (iii) a Schedule of Specific 
Commitments on Services . It is my hope that a draft Accession Package could emerge after  the 
4th meeting , so that the Working Party could conclude its mandate by the end of this year . However, 
if the Working Party need s more time , an additional meeting  cycle, formal or informal, could be 
scheduled before the conclusion of its mandate .  
19. Before concluding my report, let me reiterate my full confidence in the commitment and ability 
of the Government of Timor -Leste to finalize all outstanding work in the coming months, so that the 
count ry can  become a WTO Member  in 2023. In the last two years, Timor -Leste has demonstrated 
formidable  progress, supported by all Members . As Chair, I am committed to doing everything within 
my reach  to continue  facilitating the accession process . I also count on the continued support of 
WTO Members, taking into consideration the challenges and constraints faced by the country as an 
LDC. Finally, I would invite Members wishing to raise questions or provide guidance on this 
accession, t o do so through the Accessions Division . 
__________  
 
8 This includes customs valuation where  Timor -Leste is yet to adopt necessary legislation.  
9 Cambodia, Canada, E uropean Union , Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines and the U nited States .